Healthy teeth are something you never think about until they are no longer healthy. Since our susceptibility to tooth decay is different from each other, you could be at risk of developing tooth decay or other oral diseases far easier than other people.
To keep your teeth healthy and safe from the many dangers your mouth is exposed to, you can follow certain steps such as brushing and flossing your teeth regularly and visiting the dentist at least once in six months.
But even if you take care of your teeth, certain pitfalls exist that can secretly damage your teeth. What’s worst is that most of these are common.
Here are 4 common yet surprising things that can secretly work together to spoil your teeth.
Going Too Far with Brushing and Flossing
- It may surprise you but if you get too overzealous with brushing and flossing your teeth, it can be damaging to your teeth and gums. Toothbrushes are made with tough bristles that can do your teeth more harm than benefit if you vigorously brush in a repetitive back-and-forward motion.
This is why it is very important to follow good brushing practices. Make sure you know how to brush your teeth properly using gentle and circular motion instead of going back-and-forward.
- You could also invest in a soft-bristled brush that has a small lateral brushing pattern with a 45-degree angle to the gum line and tooth.
Flossing can do that same damage to your gums if you are not careful. Make sure that you are cleaning the sides of your teeth and not pushing pressure on your gums. Even the gentlest pressure on the gums can result in bleeding.
Chewing on Non-Edible Things
- Your teeth are made to be strong, but they are not strong enough for tearing plastic packages or chewing on pins, nails, and other hard things. You may not know this, but your habit of biting nails when you’re stressed out can lead to gingivitis.
The edge of your teeth is its weakest and thinnest part and it must be protected against chewing hard stuff. With a tiny bit of force, you could easily end up chipping or breakage of the teeth.
- Another harmful thing for the teeth is ice since it has a very hard surface and it is cold, it can easily harm the tip of your teeth and cause damage to the enamel. If you’re not careful, it can also result in a chipped tooth.
Grinding Teeth
- It is easy to get stressed out in this fast-moving society and some people have the tendency to constantly grinding their teeth when in a stressful situation. This is why it is no surprise that Vitarelli dental receives a lot of patients who experience oral problems due to clenching or grinding their teeth.
Grinding teeth, especially at night, is a hard habit to give up. This is why you should invest in anti-stress objects or toys to relieve stress.
- Sometimes it is hard to tell if the grinding is responsible for teeth problems, but one telltale sign is the soreness of facial muscles and jaw when you wake up in the morning.
Grinding teeth can result in serious enamel erosion which is worse than exposing your teeth to acidic foods, sugary foods, and dried fruit. If you are still unable to give up this habit, talk to one of our dentists and get a specially made mouthguard for yourself.
Alcohol and Caffeine
- It’s well known that soda is bad for your teeth due to high amounts of sugar, carbonation, and sweeteners. Similarly, caffeine can also endanger your oral health especially if you like adding sugar to every single cup you drink.
Caffeine is also known to dry out your mouth. When the mouth is dry, it becomes especially vulnerable to decay and gum disease because the lack of saliva means that your mouth’s natural way of rinsing harmful bacteria is lost.
- Alcohol, when consumed consistently can damage your oral health too. Alcohol also reduces the flow of saliva in your mouth, much like caffeinated drinks loaded with sugar. Heavy alcohol consumption is also linked to oral cancers.
You’ve Still Got Hope
If one of these common yet surprising things have caused damage to tooth enamel to the point that it has led to tooth decay or tooth loss, there is still hope. Vitarelli Dental deals with patients with such problems occasionally and we usually recommend full or partial dentures when the condition worsens to the point that tooth extraction becomes necessary.
For more detailed information on how you can save your mouth from such dangers, schedule an appointment today or walk into one of our dental offices in Saddle River and Madison.